Exiles War
by John Riehle
Summary: It's the ultimate showdown, Exiles vs Weapon X. And the fate of the entire multiverse hangs in the balance.
1. Declaration of War

Author's Note: So let me just say, right off the back, that Exiles is by far the best comic currently in print. I've been wanting to right an Exiles fanfic for sometime and finally came up with one that I just had to do. I hope everyone likes it, this opening chapter alone nearly wrote itself in a dozen different ways. Write a review and get a response and by all means, enjoy.

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Morph felt the familiar sensation of interdimensional travel, the unique sensation of being between time and space, existing for one brief, non-existent unit of time, nowhere. It was a sensation that he had long since given up trying to put into words.

And then something happened.

Morph didn't know what it was, or for that matter, how he knew it was happening since he didn't even exist in space or time as it was happening, but it was something. As if he was caught drifting helplessly with the tide down a river and suddenly that river had been diverted.

It was then that Morph came into existence. He was deposited, rather roughly in fact, face first on to a cold, metallic surface.

"Well that was fun." He noted aloud to himself and his teammates as he took in his surroundings. He remembered from the mission briefing that Heather had given the team that they were supposed to be heading towards dimension 616. Apparently, Captain America had just been killed and the entire world was going to hell. Heather had selected a spot out at Westchester, atop a hill overlooking the X Mansion as the location for the team to arrive.

Instead, Morph found himself to be inside some kind of large room, with a large dome ceiling over a circular shaped room with thick metal walls. Outside the transparent dome, nothing but the void of space, causing Morph, with his unparalleled powers of deduction, to conclude that they were in some kind of space ship, though Morph didn't recognize the interior design as Kree, Skrull or even Shi'ar.

"Uhh, Houston," Morph formed an astronaut's helmet over his head as he spoke in a thick Texan accent. "We have a problem."

"You know Morph; I don't think I'll ever get your sense of humor."

"That sir, is because you… you… You." Morph had turned about to respond to the critique before even bothering to identify the voice it had originated from. Had he, he might have only been slightly less shocked than he was as he saw an unmistakable orange and red containment suit floating precious inches above the ground, complete with a young face decorated by red hair with a white streak down the front. "Magnus."

"Are you ok Morph? You look like you've seen a ghost." The son of Magneto and Rogue and former Exile looked down at his teammate with mild concern, offering his very real, very warm, covered hand to help Morph to his feet.

"Well, that's very astute of me then" Morph spoke, as was his habit in life, without any forethought for what he was actually saying. "Because you're… you're…"

"…dead." Blink gasped. Morph hadn't even been aware that she had apparently been standing right behind him, and was relieved to be able to turn to her for support. Unfortunately, her attention it seemed was diverted elsewhere. Morph quickly forgot about his dead teammate hovering in front of him as he tracked Blink's gaze to a sight that, quite literally, caused his eyes to bulge out of their sockets.

" Cal!"

"Uh, guys. Why are you looking at me like that?" Calvin Rankin, also known as Mimic, former X-man leader and founding Exile looked to his friends hesitantly. The reaction he was eliciting from Morph was strange enough, but the way Blink looked at him… he would have sworn she was going to pass out.

He was right.

As the pink skinned young woman collapsed, her knees no longer even able to sustain the weight of an insect, Mimic was at her side in a flash of super speed, catching her in his caring arms and lifting her up within his grip.

"Blink!" The voice of concern crying out was not Calvin Rankin's, though it beat his by only a hair of a second. Instead its owner, a familiar blue skinned young woman with lush dark hair and a faint devil's tail coming out of her back side bounded over right next to both Mimic and Blink.

"TJ." Mimic couldn't believe his eyes as he saw the friendly face looking down on his girlfriend before turning to him. "What are you doing here?"

"Obviously, I'm just standing around, looking confused like everyone else." Nocturne let out with forced casualness. "Which of course begs the question of where is 'here'?"

At this, Morph, having been watching all of this, finally took in a wider gaze of his surroundings. It was then that he saw the most unbelievable sight of his long career as an Exile.

Gathered within this large, apparently floating room or ship or whatever in space were his teammates, the Exiles. All of them.

Members dead, left behind or even sent home, now stood side by side in confusion as they took in their surroundings. Magnus, Thunderbird, Namora, Beak, Magik, he remembered every one of their names in an instant. They stood, alive and well, every last one of them, as clearly as if they had just beamed in with him from a previous mission.

"What the hell is going on here?" The rough Sabertooth asked loudly, attempting to draw attention to himself and assemble some kind of order among the crowd.

"I… I…" for the first time in his life, Morph was at a loss for words or witty remarks. "It looks like an Exiles reunion."

"Morph," a soft voice called from behind, almost tenderly placing its gentle grip over his shoulders to attract his attention. Morph quickly turned to see the newest addition to the Exiles team, Psylocke, looking to him for answers. "Who are these people?"

Another familiar voice rushed Morph's response. "We're the Exiles. At least some of us here are."

Morph's eyes simply refused to bulge any further as the half a ton teammate known as John Proudstar, known to others in his world as Thunderbird, walked up, towering over Psylocke with a suspicious gaze.

"Check that John, make it all of us." Morph stepped in in Psylocke's defense. "Every last one of us here either is, or was an Exile." Morph could scarcely believe his own declaration as he explained.

"JOHN!" Thunderbird turned about in surprise, even as a lithe, blue figure jumped in his grasp, its legs and arms wrapping itself onto him for dear life.

Nocturne's lips latched onto Thunderbird's for dear life. Tears streamed out of her eyes as she kissed him with a passion and fury that Galactus himself could not have held at bay. For a moment, John Proudstar's eyes shot wide open in surprise, but that moment quickly passed as he returned the kiss with all the same passion and love that was put into it.

"Wow." Mimic was the first to break the awkward silence, as he tried to distract the attention in the room away from the couple's embrace and towards more important matters. "So, if we're all Exiles, how did we all get here? For that matter, who could have revived some of us and brought others…"

" Cal." The soft voice from within Mimic's grasp silenced him as he looked down into the longing eyes of his teammate and girlfriend in hand.

Blink didn't bother to finish the thought that was on the tip of her tongue. At least not aloud. Instead, she wrapped her arms around Calvin's neck as she pulled him in for a kiss that matched the intensity of Nocturne and Thunderbird.

Standing only a few feet away, the former Exile known as Barnell Bohusk, better known to his friends simply as 'Beak' tried to avert his gaze away from the two reunited couples. As he strained his neck and eyes away and upwards, he unwittingly caught the glance of another blue skinned female Exile, this one with long flowing blue hair, hovering a few feet above the metallic floor looking back down on him, the awkwardness of the moment clearly not lost upon either of them.

"Do not even think of it." Namora instructed plainly as her stern gaze never once left Beak's nervous face.

"Don't worry, you're not my type." Beak insisted. "Your wings are on your feet."

"Uhh, guys." Several of the Exiles, whose lips were not locked with their teammates that is, looked up. Hanging from the ceiling courtesy of a handy web line, the Spider-Man of the year 2099 pointed outward, indicating to something outside the dome. "I think we might have company."

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"I'm telling you, someone's gotta be in there." Spider indicated as he hung from his symbiote generated web line, as he looked down upon his former Weapon X members.

"Vision?" Gambit asked of the, apparently, miraculously resurrected android and former Weapon X team member.

"I am detecting seventeen life signs aboard." Vision stated certainly as he rose in the air, hovering next to where Spider hung. "My readings indicate life signs consistent with those of the team designate Exiles."

"The Exiles!" Deadpool drew his weapon, cocking it and checking the ammo indicator. "Well hell, screw this. Let's go over there and beat the crap out of them. It's better than sitting in this ship or whatever the hell this is, trying to figure out who spilled for the Weapon X family reunion going on." Deadpool indicated to the large, relatively featureless room he was in, and the assortion of former Weapon X team members, most of whom had died in action, now apparently assembled together. "Besides, I bet this is all their fault anyway."

"Unlikely." Vision interjected. "Their ship's design seems identical to our own and they appear to be assembled in a large room, much as we are. The probability is low that they are responsible."

"Then what the hell are we doing here?" Gambit interjected, as he tried to make sure no one noticed the nervous sweat he was forced to wipe from his forehead. Weapon X was a team composed mostly of ruthless killers, most of whom had died either as a direct or indirect result of another team member's actions. It was a certainty that before too long, blood would be spilled.

Gambit looked up, outside the dome over head, and found himself wishing that he might escape over to the Exiles before blood was spilt over here.

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"This is absurd!" A cold voice, cruel as death and far more malevolent cried out in outrage. Holocaust roared in anger, swatting aside a nearby and bewildered Sasquatch as he stomped on the ground to announce his displeasure. "I am Holocaust, son of Apocalypse. I will not be abducted yet again and placed with these gene traitors. I will have answers."

"Ah hell." Sabertooth cursed even as he smelled the tensing of the other Exiles around him. "I guess whoever threw this together remembered to invite Holocaust as well."

"Creed!" The yellow armored horseman of Apocalypse hissed the words as his glowing skull within the armor bore down Sabertooth. "Give me the answers I seek and perhaps I will not take so long in flaying the flesh from your bones."

"Well there's a tempting offer." Sabertooth's gaze never once cracked in the slightest, but he did allow a small smile to break. "Would anyone here like to give my rebuttal?"

It was Power Princess who delivered the response as her fist slammed into Holocaust's back side, cracking his armor however slightly and knocking him clear into the metallic bulkhead of the large compartment that they were in.

"Exiles Assemble!" Even as Morph made the cry, his attire that of Captain America revealing pale white skin with a phony shield in his hand to match, the other Exiles immediately jumped into action. Whatever initial confusion may have stayed them was now gone and they moved as one, charging into battle.

Using half the speed of Northstar, Mimic was the first to reach Holocaust's prone form, only to be blasted back by his left arm cannon. Mimic's armored form, copied from the X-man Colossus, saved his life, but could not stop him from flying backwards across the room and past his teammates.

" Cal!" Blink's cry of concern did not go unheeded, as Mimic suddenly felt himself slow down as if his very skin had been grabbed by an unseen power.

"Calvin." Magnus smiled as he hovered over him. "I know this isn't really the time, but I liked your wings."

Mimic gave a wide smile to his fallen teammate before the two turned back to the problem at hand.

Sasquatch had quickly recovered and was the next Exile to reach Holocaust with Nocturne and Spider-Man close behind her. However, before she could react, Holocaust's wrist lashed out, grabbing her by the throat, and holding her up close to his armor for inspection.

"Ah yes, I remember you. 'The Great Canadian Beast.'" Holocaust casually lifted Sasquatch off the ground, hurling her body into Nocturne and Spider-Man, even in spite of the two Exiles' impressive agility. "You had the most delicious scream in my world."

"Imperious Regina!" Namora's battle cry echoed across the entire room as she ripped a section of floor out from beneath herself before giving it a large pull, ripping a sizeable chunk out from its plating and causing Holocaust to again lose his balance. "This time I shall make good on my threat to crack you like a lobster, murderer."

"You have a fire in you. I like that." Holocaust's blast hit the section of floor that Namora now held as a shield, knocking her back as she struggled to hold her ground. "I'll kill you for it, but I like it."

"That's enough." Holocaust turned about even as the voice came crashing into him, knocking him back with a shoulder deck, prone onto the ground again. Holocaust looked up to see a large bulking figure with armored plates apparently coming out of its shoulders towering over him. "I heard you mention that Apocalypse is your daddy. I'm not a friend of your dads. So please, go ahead, keep being a pain in the ass."

Holocaust eyed the Exile Thunderbird very carefully before speaking. "Yes, you definitely bear the scent of my father's touch. You should be grateful for his gifts."

John Proudstar's fist angrily slammed into the wall, impacting precious centimeters from Holocaust's face, crushing the alien metals of the hull as if they were made of the flimsiest of paper. "I can get very testy. You wouldn't like me when I'm testy. Shut up."

Holocaust's skull twisted slightly it what might have been an approximation of a smile as he remained otherwise motionless and silent.

"Well, that was exciting." Morph noted. "I wonder if they're having as much fun over on that other ship."

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"Spider!" The She Hulk bellowed in rage. "You two bit, no good, red slacked punk."

"And that would be my Spider-sense. I should take this." Spider spoke to himself even as the eight foot tall emerald woman came charging at him, grabbing him by the neck and slamming him into the wall with such force as to bend and shape the metal beneath him, causing him to gasp in agony. "Oh hiya Hulkie. How are things?"

She Hulk snarled as her fist rose clenched at level with Spider's chalk white eyes. "You limey, lying, no good piece of crap."

"Yes?"

"You left me to fall into the Negative Zone you stinking bastard. I told you I'd tear you limb from limb." She Hulk readied to strike, when the feel of a cold, metallic object pressed against the side of her face and the feel of a weight settling on both her shoulders stopped her in her tracks.

"Hi Hulk." Deadpool spoke as he sat atop her shoulders with a knife pointed sharply at her left eye and a gun aiming at such an angle that it would likely shot out her right one. "Look, Spidey there's my friend, sorta. Well, not really a friend so much as someone that I don't want to kill… right away. Or at least, not before I totally sue his ass for copyright infringement. So anyway, between that, and the fact that I'm still bitter about you killing me, I'm thinking you should drop him before I feed you your own eye balls."

"Try it and your toast." The flaming red head known as Firestar flew up, leveling her aim at Deadpool's face mask. "I don't know you and I don't know her, but I know Spider…"

"Oh hi Firestar." Spider spoke as if addressing an old friend.

"And that lousy piece of filth deserves it as much as anyone can. So kindly unhand the lady, cause either I burn him or I burn the both of you." Firestar continued.

"I don't need your help." She Hulk spoke at Firestar with almost the same rage as she did Spider even as she kept her gaze locked on the squirrelly red suited punk in her grasp. "So mind your own business."

"You must be a fire gall huh?" Deadpool asked, his knife hand never once flinching or wavering in its hold. "Well I hope you're tough, cause me, I got a healing factor you wouldn't believe. I take a ton of punishment and keep going. How about you?"

It was then that Firestar noticed that somehow, without her noting before, Deadpool had shifted his gun hand so that his weapon was now aimed at her face.

"Say for example, I was to put this bullet through your face." Deadpool hypothesized aloud. "You really think you'd be able to keep going? I kinda doubt it."

For a minute, the four members of Weapon X all looked at each other expectantly as pure silence filled the room; save for a small wager being placed between Angel and Iron Man over who would strike first.

"Maybe we could settle this over a game of scrabble?" Spider offered.

"HYPERION!"

The thundering voice immediately drew all attention in the room toward it as huge emerald footsteps stormed in fury towards the docile, statuesque aforementioned figure.

Hyperion had been completely silent the whole time, calmly taking in his surroundings and observing the actions of those around him, as well as those in the second ship. The roar of the Hulk as he charged did not seem to phase Hyperion's concentration in the slightest.

Twin emerald fists capable of tearing steel like paper came smashing down on the last spot where Hyperion had been seen standing. But instead of Hyperion, the fists crashed unopposed into the floor beneath. The Hulk looked in confusion at the empty space in front of him before his senses caught his attention over to the side where Hyperion now stood, every bit as calm and statuesque as before.

"Wow, now that was fast." Spider noted, obviously impressed, clearly no longer concerned with the death grip that She Hulk still held over him.

"Not fast enough." Hulk snarled as he moved to charge Hyperion again. The emerald giant made it within three feet before Hyperion's voice brought him to a halt.

"Hulk, do you remember the last time we fought?" Hyperion asked in the same calm demeanor he had held the entire time. "I didn't just beat you, and I didn't kill you right away did I?"

The whole room was held in silence as Hulk froze, a slight fear working its way slowly across his features.

"If we fight now, I promise I won't kill you. I'll beat you. I'll beat you even worse than I did last time, but I won't kill you."

The Hulk's fists began to quiver as they slowly fell; all the while Hyperion continued to calmly issue his threat.

"I'll beat you, and then I'll carry you around. Everywhere I go, I'll haul your battered, worthless carcass with me. Maybe I'll pile my waste on you. Maybe I'll prop you up for display like I did last time, but I won't kill you. And if you start to heal, I'll just beat you some more to balance it out." At this, Hyperion finally turned about, his gaze locking with the terrified eyes of the Hulk as he stared down the emerald giant. "So shut up and don't move until I tell you."

The Hulk's anger having completely evaporated, crushed behind a tidal wave of fear, his massive fists came to rest calmly at his side.

"Good boy." Hyperion let out a wry smile before turning back to the group. "Now as for the rest of you, settle down and let me think."

For another minute, the rest of Weapon X remained in awe of the events that had just transpired. Then, they all looked up at the light.

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It was everywhere. Outside the two ships, it was as if space itself had exploded in a big bang of pure white light. The passengers of both ships braced themselves for possible shock waves, but the ships remained docile and undisturbed within space.

The light blinded both teams as a single voice called out, sounding as if it echoed from across the entire universe.

_I am from beyond. Hear me. It is I that I have gathered you here. From across the multiverse, you are the Exiles and Weapon X. Fight, and to the victors, I shall allow you to return as you are to whatever dimension you choose, and grant you your heart's desires. Nothing that you can imagine is beyond me._

"Oh great." Angel mused from within the Weapon X ship. "An omnipotent jack ass who's grabbed us and decided to screw with our lives. Boy, as if this doesn't sound familiar."

"He-he's not lying." Ms. Marvel stated with absolute certainty. "I don't know how I know, but I know. He's not lying."

Within the Exiles ship, the same certainty and confusion had taken over the team as well.

"The Beyonder." Mimic let out in a low whisper. "B-but the Beyonder is just a living cosmic cube. He gathered a bunch of Earth's heroes and villains to fight in his own little secret war."

"Well don't wet yourself kid, but I think this one wants to do the same thing, only he's picked us and Weapon X for his little toy soldiers." Sabertooth grumbled bitterly at Mimic as if the young X-man were somehow responsible for this predicament.

"But how did he know about us?" Nocturne asked in the same hushed whisper as everyone else even as she felt herself move over next to Thunderbird's side. "And how did he find us all? We're… some of us were dead…" At this, TJ looked up into Thunderbird eyes, sharing a knowing, painful look "and others… were left behind in all sorts of different realities."

"He means it." Blink stated with instinctive certainty. "He really has set up all this just for us to kill each other."

"Absurd. If I didn't play this game for the Time Broker, you can rest assured that I won't comply with some living cube." Holocaust stated surely.

Aboard the Weapon X ship, Hyperion was having a similar reaction.

"NO! Absolutely not! Do you hear me Beyonder?" Hyperion cried out in utter outrage, causing his fellow teammates to look at each other in fear and uncertainty as they suddenly realized that within this confined waiting area disguised as a ship, there was absolutely nowhere to hide. "I didn't bow to the Timebreakers and I certainly won't bow to you."

Hyperion took off in flight, crashing through the dome, leaking oxygen and atmosphere behind him, forcing Spider to desperately try and seal the breach with his webbing. He didn't care. He simply flew right towards the center where the light had coalesced and seemed to fluctuate.

"Is that you, you bugs? Are you pulling our strings again?" Hyperion cried out within the depths of space. "I won't play your game. I'm done with games. Send me where I want or I'll beat you to death. No, I'll make you beg me for death."

The crews of both ships strained to make out the image of Hyperion as he flew deeper and deeper into the light, towards its oscillating center, making mad cries and threats the entire way.

That was when the light seemed to collapse back on to itself, with Hyperion at its center. Another silent explosion filled the space between the two ships as the light slowly re-expanded outward, though far less brightly than before.

Those with eyes keen enough were just barely able to make out the glowing figure of Hyperion, his body battered, as he was forcibly expelled back from the light and down towards a planet that the two ships hung in orbit over. No one on either ship let out a breath as the body fell into the planet's gravity and went crashing down into the surface.

"Vision, please tell me he's dead." Gambit turned to the android.

"Inconclusive." The android answered to the noticeable disappointment of several Weapon X members around him. "Life signs fluctuating. He is already out of range of my sensors."

"Worthless pile of rusting nails." Angel muttered under his breath before Vision sharply turned at him, his one eye glowing menacingly. "Oh crap, I forgot how good his ears are."

Suddenly, half of Weapon X jerked forward as the ship beneath them began to move.

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Aboard the Exiles ship, it was the same.

"We're moving." Beak cried out more vocally than he had intended.

"We're heading down towards the planet." Mimic recalled from experience, unable to suppress the growing dread that rose within his voice. "It's started."


	2. Alliances

Author's Note: Sorry to keep everyone waiting. Hope this chapter was worth it. For those of you unfamiliar with how I handle my stories, write a review, get a response. Hope you enjoy.

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A bright yellow light shimmered within the compartment and over its contents as Weapon X was disassembled molecule by molecule and then in an instant reassembled on the barren planet surface below.

The team paused for a moment, examining their surroundings. The sky was dark, black, yet an unspecific light seemed to illuminate the ground. The terrain was rocky yet plain.

"Everyone, form up." Gambit took the initiative. "Iron Man, Vision, I want your sensors running. If there's an ant colony within a mile of us, I want to know. Everyone else, form a perimeter."

"Who the hell put this bub in charge?" Wolverine growled even as he instinctively followed Gambit's order anyway, his claws extending even as his nose took in his surroundings. "You can relax. We're alone here."

"He's right." Daredevil agreed, standing uneasily side by side with so many new and different faces that he didn't recognized.

"I'll believe that when I hear it from the walking ovens." She Hulk insisted.

"It's true." Iron Man called out. "No one else but Weapon X'ers for at least twenty miles in all directions."

"Twenty five." Vision corrected. "But I am detecting a large structure due west of here. It should provide a suitable shelter."

"That sounds like our best bet." Storm agreed.

"What the hell are you guys talking about?" Deadpool looked at the young weather goddess incredulously. "We should find those Exiles and knock their teeth in. That's what the Beyonder said, right? We win, and we go home."

"I heard that before." Angel grumbled bitterly. "If I recall correctly, it was just a bunch of bugs caught up on a god complex."

"Bugs?" Maveric looked incredulously at his unfamiliar winged team mate. "What about the Time Broker? And where the heck is Sabretooth? Why wasn't he teleported with the rest of us?"

"I noticed that too." Deadpool checked his weapon for the tenth time. "Guess the Beyonder decided that since he jumped ship, he'd have to hang out with those Exile losers. Gosh, it's always so sad when one of your own turns on you and then some all powerful jerk tells you that you have to kick his teeth in and make him beg for you to hand him his small intestine back. Oh well, let's get to it."

"Hold on." With Hyperion gone, the Hulk had obviously regained his confidence, stopping everyone in his tracks as he spoke. "Do we really have to? I mean, if there is another way home, we shouldn't have to fight with them. We should be working together."

"Oh for Christ's sake." Spider exclaimed. "All the Hulks in the multiverse and we get the one… the one that turns out to be a huge tree hugging, baby kissing pansy."

For a long second, a menacing glare passed between the Hulk and the Spider, until Vision interjected.

"Probability remains greatest that we will be returned home if we complete the mission. We must find and eliminate the Exiles."

"Now let's think about this." She Hulk heard herself say. "I'm not squeamish about getting blood on my hands if I have to. But this isn't some Weapon X mission, and the Exiles have never done anything to hurt any of us, except in self defense. If we have to pummel them, then fine, but I'd like to make sure there's not another…"

"We're doing it." Gambit interrupted, drawing surprised looks from everyone.

"What?" Firestar asked.

"I said we're doing it. The mission. Beyonder wants us to trash the Exiles in order to go home, so that's what we're going to do." There was no hesitation in Gambit's voice, no uncertainty.

"This coming from the one who sold out Weapon X to side with those losers." Ms. Marvel noted with a sly smile.

"Yes, I did." Gambit gave the blond psychotic a dispassionate stare. "I did leave Weapon X to help them against you and Hyperion. And before that, I did absolutely terrible things on over a hundred different missions for the Timebroker. As a member of Weapon X, I've killed, murdered, lied, and all so that I could go home to a world where my wife probably thinks I'm dead anyway. Now, I have a chance to get my life, and my wife, back, and all it means is that I have one more terrible thing to do. I don't pretend to understand why this is happening, or since when it became the norm for all powerful beings to abduct all of us and mess with our lives, but if there's even a chance that the Beyonder is telling the truth, and we can really go home, then I'm taking it."

"But… aren't they your friends?" Firestar asked.

"So? I've had to kill people who I considered to be friends and a lot more on missions. So has everyone else here. I want my wife back. I want to go home. Anyone else feel the same way?"

Gambit took a long moment to gauge the reactions of his fellow Weapon X members. There was no need. Each member of Weapon X had agreed without hesitation in the past to perform the most horrible of actions, the most ruthless and cruel missions imaginable, and all so that they could return home.

This was no different.

"Agreed." Vision stated coldly.

"Works for me." Angel concurred.

"Can't even understand why this is a discussion." Mesmaro crossed his arms.

"Ok, fine." She Hulk agreed slightly upset.

"Well hell, it's not like I was going to catch the game today or anything." Deadpool offered.

"Why not? Hell, I'd probably do it even if we didn't have to." Spider cracked.

"Fine, but I don't have to like it." Hulk insisted with his arms crossed.

Across the entire team, the reaction was unanimous. If it meant getting home, then the vote was an either enthusiastic or grim 'aye.' That just left one matter unsettled.

"We need to find Hyperion."

"Not a chance!" The Hulk responded to Ms. Marvel's suggestion by slamming his emerald foot into the ground, cracking the earth beneath and throwing up dust across the entire team even as he shouted in her face with a rage absolutely unparalleled.

"Ooh, look who decided to regrow their pair now that the big man's not here." Spider noted.

"What?" Ms. Marvel smiled in spite of the numerous ugly stares she was receiving from several of her teammates. "If we are going to kick those Exiles into the next dimension, then we're going to need his help. With him on our team, we can't l…" Ms. Marvel was cut off from finishing her sentence as a cold steel hand settled over her mouth, silencing her while another grabbed at her head from behind.

"Ms. Marvel." Colossus began coldly. "Hyperion is dead. If you suggest otherwise, I will snap your neck. It's up to you."

"Oh I can't believe you guys." Spider replied with disappointment until he turned, noticing both the Hulks staring at him angrily. "Err, that is I totally understand and respect your decision and I couldn't agree more. Now let us press onward oh valiant teammates."

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"Bugs?" Nocturne demanded angrily. "You mean it was all just a bunch of bugs? There was never any Timebroker?"

"Uhh, yeah TJ." Morph rubbed his head uneasily, having finished recalling his story. "Sorry."

"I can't believe it." Magnus admitted to himself silently as he lowered his head solemnly. "I was barely even a footnote."

"Magnus, that's not true." Blink insisted desperately even as she noted similar reactions within the crowd of her teammates gathered on the planet surface.

"They left me behind." Thunderbird muttered absently to himself, his gaze sinking to the ground, avoiding Nocturne's tearing eyes even as her trembling hand reached out to him. "Just left there."

"Oh enough of this." Holocaust had remained silent long enough for the Exiles to become caught up in their dramatic reunion. "I refuse to remain here for this!"

Holocaust had hoped that his attack would sear the flesh off at least half of the Exiles, this giving him a far better chance. Instead, his blast impacted on a magnetic force bubble that sprung up to protect the band of multidimensional heroes.

"Guess you didn't learn, did you? Exiles, grab him!" Sabretooth ordered, even as he leapt out, attempting to tackle the son of Apocalypse.

Instead, Holocaust's fist knocked Sabretooth out of the air and to the hard ground, even as he aimed his cannon arm down to the ground beside his feet, discharging his blast and propelling himself upward and into the air.

"We can still catch him." Namora rose up into the air in pursuit. "He can't escape me."

"No Namora, stand down." Blink cried out. "Everyone stand down, let him go!"

"Pup, you gone crazy?" Sabretooth asked from the ground as he rose himself to his feet.

"He's not worth it." Blink insisted, eyeing the man that had been her father for her whole life squarely. "Right now, he just wants to go, so we'll let him go. He'd just be more trouble than he's worth, especially if Weapon X is out there."

"All the more reason why we should get rid of him now, before…" Sabretooth was cut off from finishing his thought as Mimic stepped in between him and Blink.

"I don't know what other changes have happened since I've been away" Calvin didn't even bat an eye at that statement "but Blink still leads this team."

Sabretooth simply growled at Mimic's face, his fists clenching tightly as his side. "You keep reminding me of things I already know kid, and we're going to see just how fast you can heal."

"Enough." Heather Hudson, having apparently been restored to her Sasquatch form, stepped next to the two. "Blink said we leave him alone for now, so that's what we do."

"It'll be alright." Blink insisted. "Besides, we're unorganized and without shelter, and odds are Vision is scanning for us right now, and will be bringing all of Weapon X down on us any second now. Holocaust has nowhere to run and we can track him down later if we need to."

For a moment, there was silence acknowledging acceptance as the Exiles looked to each other in mutual agreement. Whatever else they did or did not know of one another, there was one thing they could all agree on.

Blink was in charge.

"Ok people, let's get organized here."

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"Not bad Vision." Gambit admitted with a smirk as he eyed the 'structure' that Vision's sensors had finally lead the team too. "Not bad."

"Yeah, not bad unless you're holding out for the Death Star." She Hulk noted sarcastically, struggling to contain her own awe at the sheer size of it.

The structure was a massive alien fortress, easily the size of a large city itself. The architecture was unfamiliar to everyone within Weapon X but both Vision and Iron Man's sensors had confirmed the facility had power and that it could probably withstand a direct nuclear blast.

Somehow, this had done little to comfort anyone on the team.

"So, we should probably send in the Hulks to check it out since they're the most invulnerable, right?" Spider posed to the team, only to receive a pair of very nasty emerald stares. "On second thought, I'll check it out. Spider sense and all that."

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Hyperion let out a faint moan as he slowly stirred. His eyes slowly fluttering open as his right hand found its way towards his forehead and the massive migraine welcoming him back into the waking world.

It was another second before Hyperion rose up into the air, slowly at first as he tried to gather his bearings.

A quick gaze around made it readily apparent that he had been repelled by the Beyonder and left to fall down to the planet surface, no doubt to participate in this absurd contest of the Beyonder's.

The Beyonder. A slight chill worked its way across Hyperion's backside as he considered the power that the Beyonder had displayed already, the power he had felt when he had been brutally repulsed.

As Hyperion flew up into the air, he realized to himself that he had a lot of thinking to do. And alliances to forge.

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"Storm, what's the word?" Gambit looked up at his teenaged teammate as she continued to fly through the corridors. Gambit, for himself, found this place too large to be practical. Without the ability to fly or leap tall buildings in a single jump, it took forever just to walk from one room to another. Every room seemed larger, and more convenient than the next. Only minutes into their search, Weapon X had found everything from alien arsenals to living quarters and all matter of recreational rooms for the team to unfold and unwind in, and they had yet to really search through even a tenth of it.

"Apparently 'the word' Gambit is impressive." Storm cracked at this. "So far, Spider has managed to get lost twice. Fortunately, Vision's already cleared the last floor. It seems safe enough as far as any sort of booby traps. I think Iron Man actually soiled his armor when he saw some of the alien weapons lying around. He's already gotten to work modifying some of them. Whoever built them, Iron Man thinks they must have had four tendrils to work those guns."

"Charming." Gambit just rolled his eyes at the thought. "Kinda makes you wonder if the Beyonder built this place just for us."

"It does seem ideal for waging a war, doesn't it?" Storm just had to give voice to the thought on both teammates minds.

"Quite so." Vision admitted as he phased through the floor before the two, hovering in front of them. "I have located a control room thirty levels above. I believe it should be adequate to scan the entire planet surface."

Vision's direct approach left Gambit and Storm to let out a mutual sigh as they looked at each knowingly before turning back to Vision.

"Show us."

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"So, exactly what are we supposed to do about Weapon X?" Longshot asked finally.

"Find them before they find us." Blink stated in a manner to indicate that she had clearly been expecting the question. "Defend ourselves if we have too. I'm sure, even if we try to find another way, we can expect them to be more than willing to play the Beyonder's game. Right now, we need to focus on more immediate priorities, like food and shelter."

"And me."

Absolutely none of the Exiles, not even those with super senses, had heard the voice approach until it was already on top of them. Thus, a mutual surprise and horror was shared among all the Exiles as they looked up at the figure floating ominously over them even as it slowly came down to stand before the entire team.

"Hyperion!" Blink cried out. "Everyone, surround him. Hit him with everything you got and don't let up for a second."

"Oh stand down." Hyperion ordered dismissively, even as he let out a casual blast of flash vision aimed at a spot on the ground precious inches from where Nocturne and Thunderbird were moving to flank him. "If you want to fight, I'll be happy to tear you all apart one at a time, and if I wanted to kill you, I'd have just flown out of the atmosphere and picked you all off one at a time with my flash vision from low orbit."

There was an uneasy silence as the Exiles looked at one another with uncertainty, each mutely asking the same question of each other.

"I can do that, you know." Hyperion cracked a smug grin.

"Then talk Hyperion. What do you want?" Blink demanded, determined not to let this monster face her down before her entire team.

"I don't suppose you're here to surrender?" Morph asked dryly even as his left forefinger had formed a white flag which he now waved in the air pitifully.

"Actually, even better than that." Hyperion's smug grin seemed to somehow grow, a feat the Exiles would have sworn impossible. "I'm here to help."

Silence. For an instant, not a single Exile breathed as their eyes bulged in surprise all at once.

"What?"

"You heard me Mimic. I'm here to help you. The Beyonder's game. Weapon X. I'm here to help you finish them off so we can all leave this stupid dead end rock together." Hyperion crossed his arms confidently.

"You know, even though I just met you," Thunderbird offered "I'm going to go out on a limb here and say you can't be trusted."

"Very perceptive of you." Hyperion chuckled at the comment. "But as Blink, Morph and Mimic can testify, I've never lied to anyone here. I don't lie. I don't have to. And I'm not lying right now when I tell you that I am willing to help you wipe them out and end this ridiculous little war before it starts."

"So now you're just feeling generous, is that it?" Blink wasn't the least bit convinced. "You tried to kill us all in the Crystal Palace."

"Yes I did." Hyperion replied simply, obviously amused at the memory. "I also offered, very generously I might add, to let you help me conquer the multiverse. To rule by my side as gods. Now, I'm offering to help you make the most of your second chances at life and obliterate Weapon X; and in exchange, I'll be teleported off this rock along with all of you back to wherever in the multiverse I want to go."

"Look, I hate to bust your bubble" Mimic lied "but the Beyonder isn't real. He's just some cosmic cube that has gained sentience and is trying to understand the basic concepts of good and evil. He did the same thing in my reality."

"I know that Mimic." Hyperion didn't seem the least bit surprised by this. "He did the same in my reality, or so I'd been told, but I'm here to tell you, this one's no cube. This is the real deal here."

At this, the Exiles seemed to disarm slightly, but only slightly as they each shared uncertain glances.

"I'm telling you the truth." Hyperion insisted again. "The genuine article and he means what he says. When I attacked him, when he swatted me aside like an insect, I knew. I could feel it, that this was the real thing. A being from beyond the multiverse. From outside all of time and space, and his power is real too. I know he's the real thing, and I know he'll make good on his promise. That's why I'm here."

"Well if you are so intent to win now, why come to us?" Mimic posed. "Why not bring the rest of Weapon X and kill us like the Beyonder originally said. Why switch sides?"

"Well," Hyperion began "for one, those losers are pathetic. We were on that waiting ship of the Beyonder's for less than two minutes before they were at each other's throats. Quite frankly, I'd be amazed if they haven't started killing each other already. Even I have standards." Hyperion seemed to take a moment to compose himself before continuing. "And second, I know you Exiles. You're good. Twice now I've made the mistake of underestimating you and I'm afraid it's cost me."

Blink kept waiting for the punch line to this sick joke, but it never came. Hyperion just went on.

"It's actually been quite the lesson in humility, I'll admit. I've single handedly conquered entire worlds, yet you guys have stopped me twice. And now, you've got some serious reinforcements." Hyperion gestured to the rather large team staring angrily at him. "I suppose I could chance that with Weapon X at my back, that would make up for the difference but frankly, I like to hedge my bets. Those guys are cannon fodder. That's all they were ever meant to be. When the Timebrokers selected them, they picked out people who would kill without hesitation, and that was pretty much the only criteria."

Sabretooth struggled to hide a slight cringe. He knew better than to take his gaze off of Hyperion for even a second, yet a part of him wondered whether or not Blink was staring at him.

"You guys on the other hand, oh you're good." Hyperion seemed to gain some sort of amusement at the thought. "Before the teams were condensed into just one, the Exiles lost a lot fewer of their members than Weapon X did, and that wasn't just cause you all like to hug and laugh. The Timebrokers did their homework with you. There's more to each of you than meets the eye, much more. You and me together, we'll crush Weapon X easily."

"So now, you just want to buddy up and help us?" Blink cross examined. "What about your plan to conquer all the multiverse?"

"Oh that." Hyperion's smile faded slightly in to a shrug. "Well, it still sounds like fun, but the truth is when I was in the Crystal Palace, I got a good look at the different dimensions. When I was on Weapon X, moving from Earth to Earth, killing every hero that got in my way, while extremely fun, did tend to get a little tedious. I spent so much time conquering Earths, I never even got a chance to rule any of them."

"I can't believe we're standing here, listening to this." Morph mumbled under his breath, his fists clenching at the thought.

"And you know, even with control over the Crystal Palace, conquering the entire multiverse would still take forever, and quite frankly, there are Earths out there that are just not worth the time and effort."

"So you're helping us just so you can go back to that dump where we left you?" Sabretooth asked.

"No. I still want my worlds, but I figure I can compromise. I think five worlds should do nicely for a kingdom. The Beyonder can send us back to the Crystal Palace, and I'll select five worlds, excluding any that you all happen to be natives of, to rule. If you like, I'll even select from the ones whose timelines are supposedly 'broken.' I got a good look at several of those worlds when I was on Weapon X and I don't know what all the fuss is about. They seemed to be just as viable as any other."

"DROP DEAD!" Morph would not listen to another word. Bulking his size to the point where he appeared comparable to the Hulk, his hands made of solid stone, he slammed his giant fists into Hyperion, knocking him into the ground. "If you think we are going to stand back and let you throw any more worlds into ruin, you're crazy."

"Exiles, hit him hard and fast!" Blink cried as the entire team leapt together. However, several Exiles were knocked back as Morph's giant frame was sent flying back into them.

"That's the second time I've offered you people my grace and favor. It will be the last!" Hyperion roared in rage, his eyes smoking with energy.

"Monster!" Power Princess' leapt forward with blinding speed, her fist crashing into Hyperion's face with a roar. She never let up for a second as she drove her knee into his gut, and then followed through with an uppercut into his face. "Murderer. You are nothing but a sick perversion of one of the finest men I have ever known."

The Princess' fist impacted again into Hyperion's face, and again, but were then caught within Hyperion's powerful grip.

"Why hello Zarda." Hyperion smirked as blood ran from his lip. "Care for another role in the hay?"

"She's going to have to pass on that." Nocturne rushed straight at Hyperion, preparing to use the one ability within her means that had any hope of affecting him.

During the first battle between the Exiles and Hyperion, when the Timebroker had commanded that the two teams, Exiles and Weapon X, be reduced from twelve total members down to six, the Exiles decided to stop Hyperion by having Nocturne posses him. Though this plan ultimately fell to ruins, the strategy was still a viable one.

Or at least it might have been if Hyperion hadn't heard Nocturne's footsteps coming up from behind him.

"Why hello Nocturne." With a super speed faster than either Zarda or Nocturne could appreciate, Hyperion spun around, still griping the Power Princess and placing her between himself and Nocturne. As a result, Nocturne, who had already prepared her possession power, began to phase right inside her teammate for a split second.

It was here that things happened faster than anyone could appreciate.

Nocturne had never tired to 'abort' a possession when she was already halfway through the process, so when she attempted to pull out of her teammate before possessing her completely, the results were excruciating for both Exiles. Zarda and TJ alike cried out in pain as Nocturne pulled herself from Power Princess, the two letting out a faint moan and collapsing as Nocturne managed extract herself completely.

"Oh dear, did you just try to posses me, Nocturne?" Hyperion asked with a smug grin as he quickly discarded Power Princess and grabbed the semi conscious blue skinned Exile, lifting her up and dangling her by the throat. "I read about you back when I was running the Crystal Palace. Figured you might try that trick of yours here. Guess we'll have to watch out for that."

"Don't." A cry of pure determination range out, capturing even Hyperion's notice for a second and causing him to pause as he turned to identify its source.

"You." A powerful, clawed hand reached out, grabbing Hyperion with such force and strength that the super powered alien actually gasped for breath as he felt his airways constricted, crushing like a tin can within a metal vise.

"Touch Her." Thunderbird roared in anger, his armored plates fully extended, as he slammed Hyperion into the ground, knocking up chunks of earth and dirt into the air as he threw his free fist into Hyperion's chest again and again, pummeling him deeper and deeper into the ground.

In Hyperion's original reality, he killed John Proudstar, just as he killed every other hero in that reality. But that universe's John Proudstar was never selected by Apocalypse to be his horseman of war.

It's an important distinction.

Lost to the blood lust that Apocalypse had so desired in him from the start, Thunderbird continued to roar as his fists pummeled and battered at Hyperion mercilessly. The shockwaves of each blow reverberated across the ground, leaving the Exiles to watch at this display of ferocity and power in helpless awe as Hyperion received a beating that would have crushed the Hulk all over again.

Hyperion could feel himself faltering under the unprecedented assault. Never before had the alien super being ever been hit so hard. Desperate for air, Hyperion's flash vision burned outwards and into Thunderbird's chest, but the blast merely fazed John Proudstar, knocking him back only an inch.

It was enough for Hyperion to disappear in a burst of super speed as he flew straight up into the air.

"You might be… stronger than me… but you're not… faster." Hyperion struggled to cry out in defiance but his injuries were already more than he had ever endured in a fight. Even he could not ignore entirely the ache and pain radiating through his body as he continued to fly up, higher and higher, holding a hand to his side.

"Oh no you don't." Mimic cried as he took off after Hyperion in armored form. "Namora, Zarda, after me. We've got to bring him back down."

"This monster will taste the strength of the Queen of Atlantis yet again." Namora swore as she followed into the air with a still uneasy but determined Power Princess behind her.

"Guess some people never learn." Hyperion's hearing had already picked up Mimic's order. The battered villain still clutched at his ribs with pain as his eyes glowed red. His flash vision fired out, straight for Mimic.

"NO!" Recognizing the attack, Power Princess was quick to act, grabbing Mimic by the leg and pulling him out of the way even as she deflected the twin heat beams with her shield. "I swear you'll take no more lives while I live."

"Oh, poor Zarda." Hyperion smirked as he gave one last bolt of super speed, finally flying free of the planet's atmosphere. "You should know better than to make promises you can't keep."

Namora turned to her teammate, only to see her faltering in her composure. Guessing her fellow Exile to have overextended herself after Nocturne's botched possession earlier, both she and Mimic flew to lend the ancient Amazon a hand as they guided her down to the planet surface.

"He's gone." Sasquatch noted bitterly back on the ground as the three fliers returned.

"Everyone take cover!" Sabretooth ordered. "In case he starts trying to pick us off with his flash vision like he was talking about."

Morph, who had rearranged his own eyes to form binoculars, stared off into the sky where he had seen Hyperion disappear into. It was then that his binoculars doubled in length as he noted "Uh guys, I think he has something else in mind."

"What is it Morph?" Blink asked, running up next to her teammate. "What do you see?"

"Well, it might just be my imagination, but I'm pretty sure that star is getting bigger." Morph said nervously.

"Star? What star?" She asked, suddenly becoming very anxious.

"Oh no." Morph gasped as his shape shifted to approximate a young Harrison Ford. "That's no star, it's a moon."

"What?"

"It's an asteroid! Hyperion found an asteroid and is dropping it right on us."

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"Holy cow. Look at the size of that thing." Maverick let out in a low tone as he watched the enormous rock descend towards the planet from the monitor within Weapon X's new base of operation.

"That thing is big enough to destroy all life on this planet." Iron Man stated certainly as he worked frantically at the control consoles before him.

"Well hell, then let's run. What are we all standing around here for?" Spider asked obviously.

"Fleeing is not an option." Vision stated with a detachment that did nothing to ease his fellow teammates. "It will surely tear away the atmosphere of this planet."

"Damn you Hyperion." Ms. Marvel shouted at the screen as if her former lover could hear her. "Damn you. Is this your idea of winning? What about the rest of us you miserable bastard?"

"We don't have anything capable of blasting or deflecting a rock that size." Iron Man declared.

"There's no way any of us can catch that." Hulk uttered in a low whisper.

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"I can." Magnus stated confidently.

"What?" Nocturne and Blink turned to their magnetically powered teammate in stunned unison.

"It's big," Magnus admitted somewhat reluctantly. "But it's composed of mostly iron ore, which means I can stop it."

"No way Magnus." Mimic moved up before his friend. "It's way too big, and it's already being pulled into the planet's gravity. Even you can't stop something like that."

"Oh for god's sakes, Cal. What can it possibly hurt to try?" Thunderbird asked incredulously even as he protectively clutched at the seemingly frail Nocturne within his massive arms. She obviously had suffered a bit worse from the battle with Hyperion than Power Princess.

"Go ahead Magnus." Blink nodded to her teammate.

With nothing left to stop him, Magnus rose into the air, leaving his comrades behind as he flew towards the large bright spot on the horizon.

It was far enough away that it seemed stationary, but Magnus knew that as soon as it began to burn up within the atmosphere, it would light the entire sky.

Shielding himself within his magnetic bubble, he uttered a silent prayer as he reached deep within himself, summoning all his power, and then reaching out for the asteroid.

Magnus felt his powers grab it. It was huge. Worse, gravity was giving it weight. It was heavy, but he could feel it ebbing. Giving way. He could move it. He just had to push harder.

Twin beams blasted into the side of Magnus' force field. The young mutant strained to maintain the field and his counter force at the same time.

"I don't know you" Hyperion cried in rage from only a hundred feet above where Magnus floated "but I promise you won't stop that rock."

Magnus felt a sweat pour down the side of his face, but paid it no mind. Magnetic force poured out of his body. Magnus could feel it latching on to the enormous bulk of the asteroid, even from so far away, could feel the asteroid slowing in its descent, slowing…

"I said NO!" Hyperion's beams only intensified as he cried again in anger. Magnus could feel his hold over the asteroid weakening. Hyperion was strong. Magnus was confident that his shield was stronger, but he wasn't strong enough to hold back Hyperion and the asteroid at the same time. Holding back Hyperion's assault was straining his push against the asteroid but if one wasn't quickly removed, the other would soon kill him.

"Imperius Regina!" Namora and Magnus had never before met. So needless to say, Magnus was almost as overtaken as Hyperion when the blue skinned Atlantian dove through the air and into Hyperion's backside.

"Ahh Namora. I still have a taste for seafood you know." Hyperion quickly pulled free of her grip. In spite of Namora's steel crushing strength, she was still no match for Hyperion as he reached out, choking her within his powerful grasp.

Gasping for air and struggling to remain conscious, Namora brought her fists up, clenching them together and slamming them into Hyperion, knocking him down and sending him hurtling towards the ground.

Hyperion crashed as a red and yellow blur into the ground, landing with an enormous crash that uplifted over a ton of dirt and earth in chunks into the air, only to come dropping back down all over the impact mark left by the super powered alien.

"Oh yeah." Hyperion admitted achingly as he slowly pulled himself up. "I'm really looking forward to killing her again."

"Fat chance." Sasquatch leapt right on top of Hyperion, knocking him back into the ground, but only for a moment. "I know Namora and I got off on the wrong foot at first, but I'm kinda fond of her."

"Oh you Exiles really are too much." Hyperion gave the equivalent effort of a shrug as he knocked Sasquatch off his backside, rising up.

"Hey. Remember me." Thunderbird came running towards Hyperion, but the super powered alien was not about to fall for the same attack twice. Even as John Proudstar's armored plates began to extend themselves, Hyperion disappeared in a burst of super speed, only to reappear next to Thunderbird, delivering a powerful punch into his armored side.

"As I matter of fact, I do." Hyperion said smugly before disappearing again, reappearing next to Thunderbird's other side, and delivering another punch into his thick gut. "You're stronger than me, but you're not faster than me, and if you think that's enough to beat me, you're dead wrong."

Thunderbird gasped in pain. He had never really had the courage to undergo a full examination since his conversion to the Horseman of War to determine exactly where in his body his cybernetic components ended and what was left of his humanity began. As a result, it was impossible to tell what, if anything had been broken. Instead, pushing past the pain with rage, Thunderbird reached out, grabbing Hyperion in a bear hug, roaring with anger.

"Oh please." Hyperion seemed unconcerned with this attack as his eyes glowed with the familiar orange of his flash vision. The heat beams burned outward, squarely into Thunderbird's chest, causing the Exile to scream out in pain as the beams left twin circular marks in Thunderbird's chest. "Oh, that sounds like that hurt. What say we try that again?"

Half lost to anger, Thunderbird still had the sense of mind to brace himself for the attack by closing his eyes and cringing in anticipation.

Only the attack never came.

Instead, Thunderbird felt Hyperion grow cold and heavy within his grasp. The Exile opened his eyes to see a metallic, unmoving Hyperion, frozen in his last moments of arrogance, completely lifeless by all appearances within his grip.

The bizarreness of this was not lost, even upon the rage induced Thunderbird, until he looked up to see a familiar and relieved face with crimson and white locks hanging over it looking down upon him.

"Sorry about that Thunderbird." Magnus gasped as he tried to catch his breath. "I was caught between a rock and a hard place for a minute there."

Thunderbird and Magnus both turned to see the rest of their Exile teammates rushing over to them.

"Holy… what he did just do?" Sunfire asked, her shock matching that of her team.

"Magnus' touch turns living matter into solid steel." Mimic informed in an almost horrified whisper. "I'd forgotten he could do that."

"You forgot? I never even knew." Morph admitted, morphing a 'Dunce' cap onto his head.

"That's cause your attention span has been clocked at five seconds." Nocturne added weakly as she attempted to stand on her own power, Thunderbird rushing over to her side.

"Uhh, should we still be worried about the sky falling on us?" Longshot asked anxiously, momentarily unconcerned by the apparent power of his new, or rather old, teammate.

"No, it's ok." Magnus assured. "I pushed the asteroid into a steady orbit around the planet. This world has a new moon now."

There wasn't enough time for the team to let out a collective sigh before Sabretooth's sensitive nose soon took a whiff of something it didn't like.

"Everyone, look o…" Sabretooth's cry was deafened as the energy blast tore directly into the center of the Exile's informal formation. The entire team was knocked off balance and to the ground.

"Heads up everyone." Mimic cried out.

"Oh yeah kids." Spider cried out at the head of Weapon X. "Now we're going to have some fun."


	3. Opening Salvo

Author's Note: Thanks so much to all who have read and reviewed the story so far. Here is the epic confrontation between Weapon X and Exiles. More to come and soon. As always, write a review and get a response.

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Thrown to the ground by the opening volley, the Exiles, already wounded and weary, looked up as the hoard that was Weapon X descended upon them.

"Hit 'em again!" Gambit cried out at the head of the attack, a charged knife already in hand. "Remember, first we separate them, then we tear them apart."

"I heard 'shoot 'em.'" Maverick didn't bother to look at his new team leader as he and the rest of the Weapon X'ers bearing modified alien weapons fired a second volley. Yellow beams of energy lanced out again, tearing up the ground. The Exiles scattered and dove, some with greater success than others, yet the explosions from the ground still served to knock them off balance.

"Now Storm."

The teenage weather goddess' eyes became white as snow as the sky opened up above her. At her commands an F-5 class tornado formed right atop the Exile's position, swallowing each and every one of them up like twigs.

"We need two seconds to regroup." Mimic cried out over the whirl of wind and dirt around. Having already assumed his armored form, he looked down to see that others without invulnerable skin had not faired so well. Magnus, Blink, Sunfire, Beak and Nocturne had apparently been stunned by the opening volley and seemed to float helplessly within the storm's power. Thunderbird and Namora had been knocked off their feet and caught adrift, but he had no doubt they would be fine. That left Morph to shield most of the others from scattered debris by expanding his frame outward as a kind of catch net that kept them anchored and shielded.

"You'll have it." Psylocke never flinched as she harnessed the full force of her telekinetic shield to protect the Exiles, catching the ones adrift in the storm and bringing them down within the shield even as Weapon X fire bore down upon them.

"Hey, no fair! They can't do that. Since when can they do that?" Spider cried out in frustration as his eyes strained to make out the different Exiles floating down against the winds powers to the ground.

"Relax." Iron Man cried out. "That's why we brought the bigger cannon. Hulk?"

"I told you, it's Dr. Banner." The emerald brute held up the enormous weapon over his shoulders even as he strained his eyes upon the massive wind funnel obscuring his targets. Fortunately the targeting scanner within the weapon's sight allowed him to see past the wind and debris to see the Exiles huddling together beneath a shield. They were all close enough that they would die in the same shot.

_Too easy. _

Dr. Banner's concerns over a quick victory suddenly became moot as the metal within his gun began to shake and shudder. The brutish Hulk watched as his weapon suddenly compacted and crushed into scrap before his very eyes, only to fly right out of his hands. Turning, the Hulk saw similar looks of confusion on all of Weapon X as the same thing happened to every one of their alien guns.

It was then that a strange noise coming from above caught their attention. The teenage Storm first saw the portal form and open not ten feet above where she hovered in the air. Gambit's warning to her had not parted from his lips before twin crimson beams fired out from the portal, hitting Storm head on and knocking her down to the ground cold.

Most of Weapon X looked unconcerned at the fall of one of their own, their gaze instead passing over to the enormous display of nature's fury as it simmered and died. As the wind and dust settled, Weapon X saw the Exiles recovered and protected beneath a glowing magnetic shield, all save for an enraged Namora who flew straight at them like a living missile.

"Hulk, we've got incoming!" Gambit cried even as he braced himself for the worst.

"I got it." The female Hulk stepped in, knocking Namora out of the air and to the ground.

"Uh, I actually meant the other Hulk." Gambit added awkwardly to himself, before dismissing the whole notion. "Forget it. Other Hulk, take the lead. Weapon X, take them apart."

"I got the big one." Hulk snarled as he moved to tackle John Proudstar. The enormous blue and red Thunderbird blocked the tackle like a professional NFL player before retaliating with a ground shaking right fist to the Hulk's chin.

"This fight's already happened." Thunderbird warned cryptically. "You lost."

"Well too bad, cause we were just getting to my favorite part." The Hulk swung back, his left and then right hand both swatting across Thunderbird's face, knocking him off his feet.

The two brutes continued to duel even as both sides came clashing down upon their location. Hulk and Thunderbird became the epicenter of the enormous battle raging all around them.

Mimic flew at full speed in a cannonball crouched position, propelling himself like a human bullet straight into the metal Colossus while high above, Sunfire and Firestar collided in a fury of heat and flame that blazed across the entire sky. Teammates on both sides became unable to keep track of one another as they dove and flew straight into their own skirmishes.

War had been declared.

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"So you switched sides on us?" Victor Creed turned about even as his enhanced sense of smell and hearing had already identified the source of the voice.

"Yeah. Nothing personal Logan." He replied simply as he gave an expressionless glance back at his former team mate.

"Of course not." The Weapon X Wolverine, dressed simply in a blue uniform that revealed his scared face extended his adamantium claws. "Don't suppose you want to come back."

"Not sure Deadpool would appreciate it." He deflected the question.

"Me and Kane got your back. You'd be better for the job that table knife throwing sissy Gambit." As he talked, Wolverine and Sabretooth stared intently at each other, waiting for the first of them to blink wrong. "Be like old times."

"I hated old times." It was an unspoken grudge between them. Even after the Timebroker explained to the original Weapon X team that they were all from separate realities, it seemed that Sabretooth and Wolverine had never really gotten along.

"Sure." Wolverine let his clawed hands fall to his side, tensed. Ready to strike. "But you know you belong over here with the rest of us killers."

"Yeah. I know." The two had eventually just figured to themselves that they were meant to hate each other, no matter what reality they were from. "But when I'm with the Exiles, I get to at least pretend that I belong here instead. I get to act like a man instead."

"You're call." And with that, the two lunged at each other in the exact same breath, crying the same battle roar.

It's not something that Victor Creed likes to dwell on, but he considers it a true honor to be an Exile.

When the Timebreakers first formed the team of Weapon X, they selected members based only on the criteria of those who could get the job done by any means necessary and wouldn't flinch no mater how deplorable those means became.

With the Exiles, their dream team, they were far more particular.

Each Exile was selected based on traits such as power, skill, courage, cunning, experience, intelligence, resourcefulness and compatible personalities to help them function as a team.

The Timebreakers had an entire multiverse of heroes, trillions of candidates, to choose from. They picked these few. This handful to set right entire realities gone wrong.

It is an honor that Sabretooth will never share.

Victor Creed was placed with the Exiles by Hyperion. To be used to distract the one person he cares about more than any other in the whole of reality. To make her a less effective leader and then lead her blindly into a death trap.

Those that have fought by his side since then will all vouch for the tremendous asset that he has become to the team and he fights by their side with pride to the end, no matter what that end may be. But in his heart, he knows he will never be an Exile.

As was said, it's not something he likes to dwell on.

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"Don't even recognize most of these guys." Deadpool insisted while diving through the air as he drew his guns, aiming them at a thin female dressed in a form fitting blue outfit.

"The team's expanded since your day I guess, Deadpool." Psylocke informed him even as she covered herself in a second skin of pure telekinetic energy, shielding herself from his attack.

"You mean those dorks actually kept going with the missions and everything even after they found out there was no Timebroker?" Deadpool had to admit his surprise, even as he rolled in the ground before coming back up to fire another volley of ammo.

"Guess so." Psylocke barely flinched an eye as she telekinetically seized Deadpool's guns, hurling them out of his grasp and off to the side as she drew her psionic sword in hand.

"Losers." Deadpool seemed unconcerned with the loss of his weapons as he reached behind his back to draw two swords from their sheaths. "You know I was kinda hoping it would come to this. It's been a while since I actually used blades. I might get a little messy with some of the cuts."

"I won't." Psylocke leveled her gaze and her weapon at him

"Right." Deadpool covered the distance between them in a heartbeat. Even Psylocke was barely able to dodge his first strike as it sliced her arm. The wound was shallow and neat. Had she been even a hair slower, it would have taken off her limb completely.

Deadpool followed up with a dropkick to her face, knocking her off balance. He followed through, lunging with both his weapons but Psylocke recovered, leaping over him with a warrior's practice. Landing directly behind him, she never even looked around as she took her psionic blade and dug it straight into his heart.

"Ouch." It was the only indication he gave that the wound was of even the slightest concern. With the blade still embedded in his backside and sticking out through his chest, Deadpool's elbow came crashing into the back of Psylocke's head. She fell back, quickly clearing her head as she came to look back at Deadpool.

There was a slight tear in his costume where the blade had pierced but no wound.

"No one's really told you about me, have they?" Deadpool raised his blades, ready for action. "I got a healing factor that makes Sabretooth look like a wounded kitten. You're going to have to do a lot better than that."

Psylocke smiled as she charged him again. She didn't say anything, but she made a silent note to thank Deadpool for the advice.

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"I don't know you my dear, but I must say you're looking rather faint." Ms. Marvel mused as her energy beams continued to hammer into a struggling Power Princess' shield. Had it not been for Hyperion's earlier attack and Nocturne's botched possession attempt, the fight between them would have been over already.

"Just trying to make you… feel like you have a chance."

"How sweet of you." Ms. Marvel sneered even as she intensified her blast.

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"So."

"So."

"You know I owe you my life." Blink reminded as she stood tense and ready.

"I'd agree." Gambit concurred, his face every bit as stone solid and unreadable as hers; the two standing a mere seven feet apart from one another.

"I don't suppose you want to talk about this." Blink knew the answer before she even asked the question, but felt the need to at least say it out of some desperate hope.

"I think we're well past talking." Gambit indicated to the screaming battle all around them.

"Yeah."

"Yeah."

In the blink of an eye, the Exiles leader was behind the Weapon X leader. Blink thrust one of her energy daggers out but Gambit anticipated the attack and swatted it aside with his staff.

In the same action, he brought one of his knives up with his spare hand and, without charging it, tried to bring it right up Blink's chest. However, the young Exile teleported out of the way, appearing again to Gambit's side.

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It was very embarrassing.

Vision and Iron Man had planned a strafing run on the Exile's flank. Their respective targeting sensors would allow them to pick off enemy targets one by one from range without half their targets ever knowing what hit them.

Only before they got their chance, a force had seized control of them, halting them in their tracks and draining them of most of their power.

The two now hung drifting helplessly in the air as a young man in a specialized containment suit hovered over them.

"Forgive me gentlemen." Magnus apologized with a somewhat proud smile on his face. "I'm afraid I don't much care for violence."

Very embarrassing.

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"I had been told about you." Colossus grabbed Mimic by the throat, body slamming him into the ground beneath with an earth quaking thud. "I know you're only half as strong as me."

"True." Mimic admitted somewhat reluctantly, even as twin eyebeams fired outward and straight into Colossus' armored face. The metal skinned Weapon X'er was knocked back by the force of the blast as the metal skinned Exile bounded back up to his feet. "But I do have a few other tricks."

Colossus growled his way through the pain, forcing his eyes open to glare angrily at the triumphant Exile. Without a second thought, he charged at Mimic, ready to trample the Exile where he stood.

The young man watched the Weapon X version of his friend charge at him, and couldn't help but to smile. In Mimic's own reality, he and Colossus had trained and even sparred together many times in the Danger Room and even on the school's campus grounds. Over the years, the two had both made some very dumb mistakes that they freely and fondly attribute to rashness and impatience, but even Mimic's Colossus would never have been so stupid as to charge him directly.

Summoning the powers he had copied from Northstar, Mimic flew up in the air, streaking past the clumsy Colossus' grip and high above before arching a full loop through the air, building up speed.

When Mimic came back down to ground level, his wash sent dirt and sand into the air as he flew cruising into Colossus, knocking him hard to the ground.

The two hit the earth hard. Mimic could feel the ache in his sides as he landed roughly with his face in the dirt, hoping that Colossus was feeling just as creamed as he was.

Mimic looked over to see the armored figure groaning prone on the ground beside him. Hoping it was safe; Cal retracted his armored skin, allowing his healing factor to take over.

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"My god, what reality did they fish you out of?" Spider's symbiotic tendrils shot outwards, ensnaring his, apparent, counter part on the Exiles. The Spider-Man of 2099 tried to leap out of the way but his red suited doppelganger seemed every bit as agile and fast as he was, if not more so.

"Actually, I volunteered." Spider-Man's talons sliced through the tendrils even as his spare hand shot out, connecting with Spider's jaw.

"Loser." Spider's symbiote formed a hammer shape with his fist which he crashed against Spider-Man's face, knocking him aside. "What is it with this whole 'power equals responsibility' crap everyone is on these days? Where the hell did that come from?"

Spider was held from delivering another strike as a familiar twinge in the back of his head caught his attention, freezing him in his tracks.

"And that would be my spider-sense again."

Spider immediately leapt out of the way as a large, green figure came crashing down where he had stood. Spider looked to see the dazed, bewildered form of the She-Hulk lying in a crater of her own impact as she tried to catch her breath and regain hold of her senses.

"Hey Hulkie. Thanks for pitching in." Spider quipped sarcastically.

"Imperius Regina!" Namora's war cry rattled in the ears of both spider-men as the Daughter of Atlantis dove into the She-Hulk, knocking her further into the ground and uplifting huge chunks of earth and dirt, sending them flying into the air.

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"Guess I get stuck with leftovers." Sasquatch noted somewhat disappointedly as she faced down her opponent.

"Oh, nonsense." Mesmaro assured in a smooth, cloying voice, the green skinned, purple robed mutant eyeing her squarely and confidently. "In fact dear, I don't see any reason why we can't be the best of friends.

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"You're pretty good." Longshot admitted somewhat reluctantly even as Daredevil slapped the latest of his knives from the air with his billy-club.

"I know." Daredevil extended the whip from his club, attempting to land a strike on Longshot, but the blonde man intuitively dodged the attack, leaping through the air. "You're not bad either" he complimented through a sneer.

"Nope. Just lucky." Longshot admitted casually as he landed on the ground. However, no sooner had his feet come to rest upon solid earth when that very earth shook violently, knocking him off his feet.

"I think that luck has changed." Mesmaro stood with his arms crossed triumphantly as a roaring Sasquatch charged at Longshot. There was no trace of familiarity or compassion in her face. Only pure rage.

"Heather. Heather, it's me." Longshot tried to reason with her even as the enormous white beast brought her monstrous fists down upon the spot where his head was. Longshot rolled out of the way, the force of the impact from Sasquatch's fist to the ground knocking chunks of the earth up. The force of the impact so close to where he had been laying that it was enough to send Longshot up into the air, at which point he adjusted his body's position, twisting and turning in the air before landing flawlessly on his feet.

"Damn you are lucky." Daredevil hissed as his club's cord came around Longshot's neck, choking the Exile and holding him in place as the mindless Sasquatch came charging at him.

"Also…handsome." Longshot admitted casually over a gasp for breath.

"That's why he was in show business." The voice came from a flying puddle of goo that fell over Sasquatch's frame. The great beast tried to claw and paw at it, even as it continued to flow around her figure, securing her arms and upper torso as it came to form a constricting straightjacket. As Sasquatch roared in frustration, Morph's featureless visage appeared on the front of the jacket. "I've been meaning to ask you Longshot. Maybe when our lives settle down, you and I could conquer Hollywood."

"Sounds… good." Reaching into his belt, Longshot was pleased to find just one more knife left within his pockets. Closing his eyes, he simply let fly, never bothering to look where his knife landed.

Sure enough, the blade landed straight in Mesmaro's right leg. The hypnotist cried out in agony as blood began to spew from the gaping wound.

"Huh? Wha…?" As if awakening from a dream, Heather Hudson tried to shake her head and clear her mind even as she looked down upon herself in her restrained condition.

"We could be a duo." Morph continued his observation from earlier. "Or a trio. All the best groups are trios. I got it! I could be your best man and your leading lady! But we are totally going to have to get me a stunt double for some of your less 'family friendly' scenes." He insisted as he pulled himself away Sasquatch, leaving her free to stand groggily under her own power.

The large, furry Exile immediately turned back to see Mesmaro still clutching as his wound as he looked back to her.

"You… will not resist…" He was cut off from his command as a large, white fist knocked him off his feet and to the ground, unconscious.

"I never did like those hypnotists at the airports." Heather rubbed her fist with satisfaction before the three Exiles turned to see the lone Daredevil looking back at them uneasily, an inaudible yet pitiful gulp escaping his throat.

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"Hope I'm not tiring you out." The Hulk taunted as he drove yet another emerald fist into Thunderbird, bending him over in pain. "Maybe it's just me, but I get the feeling you're not putting your 'all' into this."

"Just getting warmed up." Thunderbird tried to sound more confident than he felt as he retaliated with an uppercut. But the attack went wide and the Hulk powered on through with a left fist that could have knocked in the side of a mountain.

Thunderbird was knocked back a good forty feet and into the ground. He left a wide tread as his body ached all over. For all his bravado, he was still winded from his earlier battle with Hyperion.

He didn't get a chance to catch a second wind as the Hulk leapt up into the air, covering the distance between them in a single bound and landing directly on top of Thunderbird, knocking him further into the ground.

Even John Proudstar could not help but to cry out in pain at the attack, only to receive another hard emerald fist to the face.

"I want you to know, this is nothing personal." The Hulk pulled back another fist for his last attack.

"Oh like hell it is." The Hulk had been so distracted that he hadn't noticed the lithe blue figure bounding towards him. By the time the Hulk even laid eyes on her, Nocturne dove right inside the Hulk's jade colored skin, disappearing inside him.

For a moment, the Hulk seemed to stumble and wobble a bit before finally seeming to come to his senses.

"TJ?" Thunderbird finally brought himself to ask cautiously.

"You know it." Without a second thought, she brought her new set of lips to his, kissing him in what he considered to be the most awkward moment of their whole relationship.

A collective "Ewwwww" rose up from both sides as the battle paused for a brief second to examine this… uncomfortable phenomenon.

"I like it." Morph admitted, nodding his head, apparently pleased, as he morphed a director's uniform and hat and a chair to sit in. "Now we just need to add some scenery shots and find us some alien cattle and we've got us 'Brokeback Mutants.' I smell an Oscar."

When the two finally broke, Thunderbird looked wide eyed back. "Uhh, TJ. You know I love you right?"

"Of course." She replied soothingly.

"I'd die for you."

"You already did." She replied, fighting back a spare tear. "Almost anyway."

"Then I hope you'll remember that when I tell you I will never, ever, ever kiss you in anything but your own body."

Nocturne flushed as she looked down at the brutish, masculine body of the Hulk she was inhabiting. "Sorry. I guess I got caught up in the moment."

With that, she helped Thunderbird to her feet.

Gambit took the brief respite to warn his teammates in a soft, cautious voice. "They got the Hulk. This is bad."

"Vile swine!" With a sense of timing that had to be admired, Namora came flying down straight for the ground, dragging the She-Hulk by her left leg. Coming to an abrupt stop, Namora brought her right arm down, smashing She-Hulk into the ground, shattering the earth yet again.

"They got both Hulks." Gambit corrected. "This is very bad."

"Clean up time people." Blink cried out to her team mates. "Exiles, take them down."

It wasn't a fight anymore. A massacre, most certainly. The term 'slaughter' definitely applied. But 'fight'. Not even close.

Thunderbird and the possessed Hulk tore across the battlefield, knocking out Deadpool and leaping into the air to swat out Angel, respectively. Kane was knocked aside next, being hurled right into Spider.

"Retreat!" Gambit cried out. Flashing an arsenal of daggers, he hurled them across the battlefield, throwing up sand and dirt in the faces of as many of the Exiles as he could. Only a half a dozen of his comrades managed to follow as they tore off.

"We can chase them down." Magik held up her sword, eagerly.

"I'm with blondie." Sabretooth growled eagerly. "Let's finish this."

"No, let them go." Blink ordered. "We can't afford to let them divide us, especially not when we have over half their force our prisoners." Blink paused as she looked over the faces of her comrades. As she did, a burgeoning sense of pride over came her as she looked into everyone of their familiar faces. "Well done, everyone. Well done."


	4. Decisions And Plans

"So how many of them got away?" Sunfire asked cautiously, looking over the collection of fallen Weapon X.

"We're missing Gambit, Kane, Logan, Daredevil and that fire chick you were brawling with." Sabretooth counted aloud. A soft moan caught his attention off to the side.

"Oooh…number of that… truck?" Deadpool asked weakly as he slowly began to stir, rubbing his head.

"What's that you say Deadpool?" Sabretooth grinned as he knelt over to where the red and black mercenary lay. Sabretooth's enormous hands reached around the sides of Deadpool's head. "That healing factor of yours keeping your tank running even after getting creamed by the Hulk? Well, can't have that, can we?" And with that, there was an enormous crack as Deadpool neck was snapped like a twig.

The snap was loud enough to attract the horrified attention of the rest of his Exiles.

"Now we're talking." Illyana snarled as she raised her sword, standing over the prone body of Angel. "Let's win this war and get on with our lives already."

"Whoa, whoa!" Mimic appeared in a burst of super speed, catching Magik's sword between his armored hands before the blade could finish its swipe. "We're not killing anyone Illyana."

"And why not?" Magik realized that she shouldn't have been surprised by her teammate's reaction, but she simply couldn't contain her incredulousness. "What do you think they would be doing right now if our positions were switched?"

"Kid does have a point." Sabretooth grunted in agreement.

"No she doesn't Victor." Blink bit back sharply "because we're not like Weapon X. We're not murderers."

"Oh really?" Illyana gestured to Deadpool whose head now lay at a hundred and eighty degree angle atop his shoulders. "Look at what your precious Sabretooth just did."

"Actually blondie, I just did that to keep him from getting back up." Sabretooth smirked. "That little move didn't kill him before, and you can bet it didn't just now either. But it should keep him out of our hair for a little while."

"And what are we supposed to do in the meantime?" Magik turned to the group Exiles. She could see the distrusting glances from all those she recognized, as well as several that she didn't, but she raged past them all. "Just stand watch over them until the rest of Weapon X comes back and tries to kill us again?"

"No. You're right, we can't just stand out here." Blink turned to the rest of her teammates assembled near her. "Mimic, Sunfire, Power Princess, you three are on recon. We need food and shelter. See what you can find. Check back in an hour."

"On it." Sunfire added proudly as all three Exiles flew up into the air in perfect unison.

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"So, will that do?" Mimic asked as he guided his teammates atop the cliff overlooking his particular idea for 'shelter'. He was unable to completely suppress the small amount of pride in his voice.

"Over compensatin' for something there Cal?" Sabretooth tried his best to hide his own surprise behind his usual, rough attitude, lugging Deadpool over his shoulder, as he eyed the enormous alien structure that all but filled the up the horizon. It stood at least half a mile high and twice that in diameter.

"That thing is bigger than the X Mansion." Nocturne breathed in awe at the sight, even as she uncomfortably lugged the unconscious body of the teenaged Storm over her shoulder.

"At least a hundred times bigger." Sunfire swore.

"I'd say about ninety eight," Magnus calculated as he magnetically dragged along Vision and Iron Man.

"Alright, alright, it's big." Thunderbird agreed as he shifted the unconscious Hulk, Ms. Marvel and Colossus over his shoulders. "Can we just go now? I'm sick of carrying these guys. Plus, the Hulk has B.O like you can't imagine."

"Welcome to my world." Sasquatch added, hauling She Hulk and Maveric. "It's always 'Heather, grab this. Heather, knock that down'."

"Guess it's settled then." Blink smirked as she teleported the entire team, prisoners and all, down the five mile incline towards the bottom of the base. To her surprise the structure, its architecture completely alien, was even more enormously brooding and awe inspiring from so up close.

"'Heather, hit that guy." Sasquatch continued with her observation from earlier. "'Heather, huff and puff and blow that door down.'"

"We should be careful. It doesn't look like anyone is home, but there could still be booby traps." Mimic noted aloud.

"I'll check it out. I'm pretty much the most invulnerable one here." Thunderbird volunteered, before noting the strange look on Nocturne's face. "TJ, what is it?"

"You're so cute when you act all brave." She cooed, drawing several smirks from the rest of the team.

"TJ. Cut it out." The towering Thunderbird insisted in a hushed whisper, trying and failing miserably to contain his blush.

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"Well that went well" Logan noted sourly from within the ship. The small craft used to transport Weapon X had felt more like a tomb by virtue of the sheer, maddening silence. Logan's sarcasm was the most any of Weapon X had spoken in what felt like hours.

"I don't want to hear it."

"No really. Swell plan there boss." Logan paid Gambit's mood no heed. "Can see why you got picked to lead this team."

"I didn't hear you coming up with anything better." Firestar replied in the same foul mood as the rest of her team.

"Really?" Daredevil chirped in. "All I heard the whole time was him grumbling like an old man whose cane was stolen." An almost triumphant smirked cross Daredevil's face at a thought. "I've done that by the way. FYI, it's even funnier when you leave it hanging five feet above their head."

"Everyone shut up." Gambit shouted as he continued to struggle with the controls to their ship. How the blazes Iron Man had figured out how to fly it was beyond him. "I just need to think."

"Well, you've got plenty to think about, don't you bub?" Wolverine leaned in on the side of his chair as a smug grin decorated his face. "Maybe for your next brilliant strategy, we can ask the Exiles to surrender."

"I said shut up!"

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"This place is absolutely amazing." Blink marveled aloud. She, Sunfire, Mimic and Nocturne roamed together as one of four groups that searched the enormous alien complex.

"Magnus and Spider-Man found a huge control room about thirty levels above us." Mimic reported as he flew up above her and Nocturne, alongside Sunfire. "They've already started redecorating."

"Even better than that." Sunfire added. "Psylocke's team found a detention area, equipped with stasis cells. The last of Weapon X should be secured right now. Psylocke even says Deadpool's neck has already completely healed itself."

Nocturne couldn't help to resist spreading a bit of gossip. "Is it just my imagination, or has anyone else noticed the way Sabretooth keeps starring at her."

Sunfire found an infectious smile spread across her face as she added "is it my imagination or has anyone else noticed the way she keeps starring at Morph?"

"Well worry about that later. I want someone watching the prisoners at all times. Weapon X shouldn't be underestimated." Blink had to fight back the urge to join in their girly gossip. She was still team leader and didn't have time for such luxuries.

"I'll get Namora to take the first watch." Mimic informed.

"As long as we don't let Illyana down there." Sunfire noted, a sour chord ringing in her voice. "I gotta admit, as thrilled as I am to see you guys, I really could have gone without her again."

"I know what you mean." Blink admitted. "But we need all the help we can get. Ask Morph to keep an eye on her. If she's close to anyone on this team, it's him. Right now, we need to have a team chat."

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Blink stood before the entire team, each seated in a large lecture style room whose glass walls reviled unusual alien foliage behind them. None the less, every Exile gave Blink their undivided attention.

"From what I gather, Magnus and Spider-Man have been able to figure out how most of the fortress and its technology works. Longshot informs me that we've already found a kind of alien cafeteria with enough food to feed an army for years, and this place looks like it could withstand a direct hit from an H-bomb. We have food, shelter, and a big advantage, but this is not the time to relax. Right now, we need to stay focused and consolidate our gains."

"Sure, but what's the big deal?" Nocturne had to ask. "I mean come on. In case no one checked the score, the Exiles are ahead thirteen points after only the first quarter with Weapon X fans crying in the stands."

"There's still five of them out there TJ." Mimic warned cautiously. "Plus Holocaust is still on the loose somewhere. We've definitely got a big edge, but the last thing we need to do now is blow it by getting cocky."

"We'll keep our guard up." Blink agreed. "But a little wishful thinking never hurt anyone. Either way, we can't afford to slip up now by leaping before we look. Mimic, Sunfire, and Zarda, I want you three making regular patrols around the fortress perimeter. In the meantime, everyone try to get some rest. We need to be ready for whenever Weapon X attacks. I figure they'll try some last desperate attack as soon as they figure out where we are and get a plan together. Giving their new weapons and how quickly they were able to get a bead on our position earlier, it's probably a safe bet they've found another fortress of their own."

"So let's find it, teleport a bomb on top of them, and be done with it." Magik had to state as if it were the most obvious solution in the world. "Why are we sitting here, waiting for them to come to us?"

"Hate to keep agreeing with blondie," Sabretooth voiced in "but that's not the worst plan I ever heard. It makes a hell of a lot more sense than waiting for them to come to us."

"Ah come on." Heather, having reverted to her human form, interjected. "We already got their strongest and smartest in our dungeon. What's the worst they can do?"

"You don't know Weapon X, Heather." Sabretooth took a grim visage as he looked down in thought. "Just cause we got the Hulk doesn't mean we got their best. Guys like the Hulk only know how to do one thing; smash. It's what they do when they're winning and it's what they do when they're losing. Guys like Deadpool and Logan on the other hand…" Sabretooth paused at the memories "they're capable of anything, especially when they're desperate. You think this is the worst they've ever had it? Think again."

"The Exiles have been through much worse than this too." Nocturne added with a razor's edge in her voice. She still wasn't entirely comfortable with the notion of Sabretooth having been placed on her team in her absence. "If we can handle that, we can handle your old friends."

"That's enough, everyone." Blink could smell tension brewing among the ranks and knew she had to defuse it immediately. "Weapon X is not to be underestimated. But neither are we. We don't need to chase after them, because they are going to come straight to us. They won't go down easily, but if we all do our part, there's no reason we can't take them without losing a single hand."

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There had been utter silence in Weapon X's transport. Gambit's face had been set in stone as he had been lost in thought, his hands practically glued to the controls. Finally, he came to a decision.

"Firestar, I want you to head back to the base ahead of the rest of us. Make sure the Exiles haven't found it and are waiting for us in ambush. The rest of us will meet you there."

"What? Why?" Firestar looked to her leader, clearly confused.

"I've got an idea, but the rest of us are going to need to make a detour. We'll meet up with you at the base."

Firestar looked to the other members of Weapon X as if some kind of sympathy or understanding. Finding neither, she reluctantly moved to the back of the transport, lowering the ramp enough to fly out under her own power.

"So," Logan pitched in "what you got in mind that'll make your girlfriend so squeamish?"

Gambit ignored his mood "I told you, I've got an idea" he explained, his face completely deadest.

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"So, what's the urgent urgency?" Blink asked as she and Mimic walked into the large control room, adorned with enormous computer banks of alien design, where Magnus, Sasquatch and Spider-Man had been hard at work.

"Well," Magnus began as he continued to hover in the center of the room "we've actually got some good news. We've managed to get these alien monitors working." Magnus explained as he gestured to the five enormous screens that stuck out of the wall, showing larger than life real-time images. "From here, we should be able to look anywhere on the planet."

"Actually," Dr. Hudson interjected with a slight degree of sarcasm "what Magnus humbly meant to say was that he got the monitors working, and actually improved them, all without evening lifting a finger, while Spider-Man and I have been standing over in this corner, trying not to look like toddlers discovering the intricate mysteries of a Lego set."

"Hmph." Spider-Man let out softly. "I'd understand these just fine if he'd go five seconds without rewiring something."

"Don't take it personally Spider-Man." Mimic assured with a sympathetic smile. "We're all a little intimidated by just what Magnus can do."

"Regardless," Magnus attempted to re-gather the attention of his team leaders, pretending to retain his humility at the compliment, "the reason we called you here was to show you what we've discovered. Take a look at these monitors."

For a moment, Mimic and Blink's gazes passed from one monitor to the next to the next.

"It can't be." Mimic reasoned aloud in a soft, awed whisper.

"We all assumed that the Beyonder had transported us to some alien planet." Magnus spoke to no one in particular. "He didn't."

"He transported us to Earth." Blink could scarcely believe the words coming out of her own mouth, but the images on the screens offered no other explanation.

"Actually, a variety of Earths all linked together." Spider-Man interjected, eager to show that his place as the resident tech expert wasn't about to be usurped by this newcomer to the team. "Take a look at the way the topography changes every couple of miles."

Sure enough, the Exiles watched the monitor Spider-Man had indicated too as the desert where they had clearly fought Weapon X in mere hours ago seemed to abruptly change into a thick, lush forest. There was no sign of increased growth in vegetation, no transition between the two. One second, the ground was barren and dry, and the next, thick, well grown foliage.

"Our theory," Spider-Man didn't wait for Magnus to explain "is that the Beyonder has taken different sections of different Earths and 'jig sawed' them together."

"He actually ripped different chunks of different Earths together to make his own?" Blink could scarcely believe the implications. What sort of being were they dealing with here?

"Actually no." Magnus took his chance to explain. "We think each Earth is slightly out of phase with itself, but only to the degree that it makes up a section of this planet. Each section of Earth not only exists within its own Earth but also simultaneously within this new, merged Earth."

"And if we're right," Spider-Man saw his opening "none of the Earths or any of the people living in each section of each Earth is at all aware of it. Look."

Spider-Man pointed a monitor showing a stretch of highway where a lone SUV drove towards the edge of one of the sections. Up ahead of it, the topography changed from a highway in the middle of the desert, to what appeared to be a volcanic filled rocky section with no roads or signs of civilization at all. The car either didn't notice or didn't care as it drove straight on its path, straight for the rocky terrain ahead of it, and then completely vanishing from sight.

"Where did it go?"

"It didn't go anywhere Mimic." Magnus explained calmly. "It's still on its own Earth. It has no idea it's simultaneously on this new Earth as well. We think that the Beyonder must have made it so that only we, and Weapon X in all likelihood, are capable of moving from one section of Earth to another. For everyone and everything else, they keep going and going on their own Earth, with no idea as to where we are or what's happening."

Blink took a moment to process the implications. For one, it meant that there little private war with Weapon X was no longer so private. There were now potentially billions of innocent pedestrians in the way. This realization brought Creed's warning of Weapon X back to her mind. "So, what are the ramifications of this for us?"

"None, really." Heather explained, frankly. "Hopefully, we finish off Weapon X and get sent home before anyone or anything from some other Earth gets caught in the crossfire. As near as we can tell, we're actually in the middle of the Nevada desert on some Earth or another. The good news is, with this technology, we've managed to locate Weapon X's base of operations."

"And the bad news?" Mimic asked with resignation. There was always bad news to go along with good news.

"Well," Heather took the chance to break it to the leaders. "We caught sight of a transport returning to the base not two minutes you got here. Presumably returning home after their fight with us. But before they did, they made a little stop along the way."

"What stop?" Blink asked.

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"You found him?" Firestar asked in horror as Wolverine and Kane walked past her, carrying the large weight between them.

"Wasn't hard. Sucker stuck out like a statue in a desert." Daredevil explained amusedly.

"Not funny." Gambit bit sharply. "Just get him to the lab."

"You actually found him?" Firestar repeated, a sharp anger rising in her voice next to sheer terror.

"Gal doesn't miss a thing, does she?" Wolverine noted with a proud sarcasm as he and Kane continued to carry the inanimate, metal form of Hyperion between them walking past a horrified Firestar.

"You…"

"Firestar, not now." Gambit ordered, his mood dropping sharply with each passing second as he addressed Wolverine, Kane and Daredevil. "You three hurry. I'll meet you in the lab in a second."

"Heh." Logan just smirked as the trio walked off, leaving Gambit alone with a smoking angry, literally, Firestar. "Good luck lasting till then."

"Are you insane?" Firestar shouted the question furiously.

"Or really desperate." Gambit offered. "Take your pick."

"Ok, of all the bad ideas you've had, this one takes the cake."

"I don't want to hear it." The Weapon X leader ordered as he turned about, walking off with Firestar right behind him.

"Well, you get to hear it anyway." Firestar's face began to burn as an eerie red glow rose from her body. "He's a monster. He'll kill you the first chance he gets. He'll kill us both."

"He may want to." Gambit admitted. "On the other hand, considering that he got his butt handed to him just the same as the rest of us, he might be more likely to listen to reason. Right now, I figure he needs us as much as we need him."

"That's a load and you know it." Firestar reached out, grabbing Gambit by the coat, and pulling him face to face with her. "What has gotten into you? You pick a fight with the Exiles without even bothering to find another way and now you want to bring back Hyperion?"

Gambit didn't even hesitate in his response. "I don't know if you were paying attention but we just got whipped and sent running with our tails between our legs. And that was when we had the element of surprise and they were already tired. Right now, we are seriously short on muscle and brains and we need a lot of both. Hyperion is the only edge we have left."

Firestar looked at him, her face every bit as set in stone as his. In the end, all she finally said was "You know the worst thing about dealing with the devil? You always have to pay up. Always."

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"They… they can't possibly bring him back, can they?" Blink asked in a horrified whisper, even as she couldn't help but wonder if either she or Illyana could possibly make it to the Weapon X base with a large enough explosive in time.

Magnus' head fell slightly at the question. "No. We have nothing to worry about."

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Weapon X, or what stood for their ranks, continued to stand around the flat examination table, staring together silently at the metal Hyperion before them.

"So," Gambit looked up at Kane. "What do you think?"

Kane reached out, knocking on the metallic figure before him, producing a solid tapping sound echoing off it. "I think he's dead."

"I know that." Gambit bit down on his upper lip as blood rushed unbidden to his features. "I mean, can you do something?"

"I can use him as a paper weight." Kane offered.

"I mean something useful." Gambit managed to force out through clenched teeth.

"I can use him to club one of the Exiles to death, if they stand very still for it."

"I mean something useful and practical." Another wrong word would result in violence.

Kane took another long second to look down at the frozen alien. "No."

"Well then this was a waste of time." Firestar didn't wait another second. Intense microwave energy burned from her hand, enveloping the metallic Hyperion and reducing him to metal slag. Firestar maintained a cold, dispassionate expression the entire time as she watched the recognizable features of Hyperion melt to clear, grey liquid goo.

"Well, that went well." Logan chirped back in. "So what now?"

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Psylocke continued to stare at the cold, enormous hallways of the enormous alien structure as she walked next to Mimic. Although she had initially regarded him with caution and concern, the apparent ease and confidence he instilled in his fellow Exiles, particularly Morph, had convinced her that this was an entirely different man from the Calvin Rankin of her own reality. She was still having some trouble with the whole notion of alternate realities and so many different versions of the same people, but after dealing with Sabretooth, it was becoming easier and easier to stomach. "So, you're really the leader of the X-men in your reality?"

"Yeah." Calvin admitted at the fond memories. "It took me a little while just to adjust to life at Xavier's, but once I did, it felt perfectly natural. Like a home."

"Yeah." Psylocke looked down at the floor ahead of her, a soft smile decorating her flawless visage. "I know what you mean." There was a slight pause before she just had to know. "So, do you know me? In your world I mean. Are we close or anything?"

"Well, we work together." Calvin admitted. "I did ask you out once. You said no."

"I can see that." Betty decided against seeing the confused expression on his face as the two walked in silence before finally arriving in the enormous control room. She was still a little uneasy with all the different names and faces, but from what she had come to understand, Blink, Magnus, Spider-Man, Heather, Magik and Beak all seemed eagerly anticipating her arrival.

"Finally." Illyana looked up at Psylocke.

"Psylocke, we need your help." Blink cut past Magik, getting straight to business.

"Sure. What's going on?"

"Well, our resident tech geniuses have managed to get this equipment working." Blink indicated to the enormous equipment banks and huge monitors hanging from the walls. "From here we can see just about everywhere on the planet, including Weapon X's base of operations. However, we've hit a slight problem."

The young man Morph had identified to her as Magnus explained. "There seems to be some kind of counter measure that prevents us from spying directly on Weapon X inside their base. It's possible they have similar equipment that is also incapable of spying on us. We might be able to modify our equipment given enough time, but we had another thought."

"You see," Blink spoke back up "you're the only one on the team with any real psychic ability. Mimic has a little leftover from when he copied Jean Grey's powers and Nocturne was born with some, but you put both of them to shame a hundred times over. We need you to peak in on Weapon X, and see what they're up to."

Psylocke swallowed a thick lump in her throat as she looked up at the monitor displaying the image of the enormous structure. "Look, I hate to say it, but I think you're giving me too much credit here. Even at my best, I could never reach that far with my telepathy."

"That's why we built a Cerebro to help you." Magnus gestured over to the corner of the room. Psylocke was astonished that she hadn't noticed it earlier but sure enough, there was a large assembly of equipment with a headset that perfectly matched the one from her own reality.

"You… built your own Cerebro?" Psylocke asked in a hushed awe.

"Actually, he's built three, including this one." Mimic smirked at the memories as he looked up at his magnetically gifted teammate. "Of course, this one puts the other two to shame."

"It's a lot easier to build one when you're not cannibalizing spare parts from a shopping mall." Magnus returned the smile at the memory.

"L-look, I hate to say this guys but I can't use my psychic abilities." Psylocke confessed. "I haven't for a long time now."

"Still, you have the ability within you, and it's more powerful than anything anyone else on the team can match." Magnus assured. "I can modify this Cerebro to work with your abilities without any risk to you."

It was Blink's turn to assure the uncomfortable ninja as she placed a re-affirming hand on her shoulder. "I know you can do this. And believe me, I wouldn't ask if we didn't need this."

Psylocke took a long look at the Cerebro. "Ok. Hook me up… I guess."

It was several seconds later as Psylocke sat in the chair. Magnus and Spider-Man worked to channel power into the machine as Psylocke reached out with her mind, sifting through the thoughts of those in the room, then in the fortress at large. Next, she moved beyond it, her mind spanning miles in a fraction of a second, until she reached out to the minds within the Weapon X base.

"I can see them." Psylocke cried out, her eyes firmly shut as continued her concentration. "I can hear their thoughts."

"How many are there?" Mimic was almost afraid to ask the question.

"Five." Psylocke didn't notice the collective sigh of relief that went out across the room. "They're beat. Exhausted. Demoralized. They don't know what to do."

Blink tried to hold back a hopeful expression on her face. It all seemed too good to be true, but if it was… if they really could win so easily…

"What about Hyperion?"

"He's not there." Psylocke replied with a bit of relief herself, though the focus she was forced to maintain made up for it. "No sense of him at all."

"Uhh, guys." Spider-Man called out as he looked at the monitors. I think we might have another problem right now. And it's not Weapon X."

"What problem?" Mimic looked up.

"Sentinals."


End file.
